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OK, I recently contacted one of the customizers that sells figures on ebay and asked how he creates things like slime pit He-Man and what he uses in the legs. He replied that he has NEW rubber pieces for the legs, cast off old ones, and for ten bucks he could take the old rubber out, replace with new, and bam...instant fix. So, I took him up on his offer, excited to see how it turned out and it arrived today!!!! INCREDIBLE. I won this He-Man carded on ebay and was disappointed to see the loose legs inside so I opened him and his legs are just simply perfect. There is NO WAY besides the rubber looking shiny and new that you could tell. And the person I dealt with...absolutely TOP NOTCH. He did the job immediately, emailed me right away, sent it back same day. I had this puppy send and received back in like four days. He even emailed a picture AND a video to show me what it looked like while I waited for it to arrive. Incredible service, cost, and experience. Just letting you know that there is an alternative to drilling into the legs.

OK, I recently contacted one of the customizers that sells figures on ebay and asked how he creates things like slime pit He-Man and what he uses in the legs. He replied that he has NEW rubber pieces for the legs, cast off old ones, and for ten bucks he could take the old rubber out, replace with new, and bam...instant fix. So, I took him up on his offer, excited to see how it turned out and it arrived today!!!! INCREDIBLE. I won this He-Man carded on ebay and was disappointed to see the loose legs inside so I opened him and his legs are just simply perfect. There is NO WAY besides the rubber looking shiny and new that you could tell. And the person I dealt with...absolutely TOP NOTCH. He did the job immediately, emailed me right away, sent it back same day. I had this puppy send and received back in like four days. He even emailed a picture AND a video to show me what it looked like while I waited for it to arrive. Incredible service, cost, and experience. Just letting you know that there is an alternative to drilling into the legs.

My kids play with the vintage guys relentlessly... most have survived, but yea we've had some leg breaks... great solution, commemorative! These guys are like starting over again, and they are holding up really well. There are sooo many lots on ebay, that when we lose a number of characters due to the unrelenting violence on Eternia, we'll pick up another lot for 15 bucks. I don't think Mattel was thinking we'd be passing these toys off, or still collecting them 30 years down the line... that being considered, most of them as well as their play features have held up wonderfully... some modern toy lines break after 2 days out of the package, let alone 30 years.

I will NEVER believe that Mermista beheaded Mer-Man! You sit on a throne of lies.... and smell of beef and cheese, bio writer!!!!

I read up on the deteroration of action figures and plastics last week, after being reminded of a few sticky figures as I dusted my action figure shelves. (No sticky MOTU, but I only have two vintage ones, only GI Joe/Action Force and old Kenner Star Wars, and one not too old Invisible Woman form ToyBiz.)

Anyway, from what I read what makes figures sticky is the chemicals mixed in with the plastics (like softeners) that loose their bond. My Action Force Zartan for example oozes something crystalline. Things that accelerate degradation include light, lack of oxygen, chemicals and temperature variation. The last one appaerently is the biggest common crook.

Bags in general is bad for both plastic and paper since they keep out oxygen and include chemicals that do damage. Mostly to paper. For example Mylar bags that comics collector's use needs to be replaced every few years to make sure.

Another factor is what type of plastic that was used and which chemicals were added, in a particular batch of figures. Still, the rubber will go before the plastic and the plastic in these action figures will outlast us all even if it becomes sticky and colors run (Two Bad is a common example from MOTU).

So, mild/cool room temperature with ventilation and no lights is the ideal.

Bags in general is bad for both plastic and paper since they keep out oxygen and include chemicals that do damage. Mostly to paper. For example Mylar bags that comics collector's use needs to be replaced every few years to make sure.

WHAT?!? Are you sure? I buy mylars specifically because they needn't be replaced, have I been lied to?

I still think there has to be a way to preserve your figures without having to sell your first born in order to pay for it.

I've noticed that if u wash figs with soap and water, the stickiness does indeed go away... it may take a few washes. None of my vintage MOTU have gotten the stick however, all are doing just fine, well except for the bands... nothing will help that nonsense!

I will NEVER believe that Mermista beheaded Mer-Man! You sit on a throne of lies.... and smell of beef and cheese, bio writer!!!!

Maybe all of them will fall apart, but I'll deal with that when the time comes.

Me too. I think mine are as decent as they are because they are for display now. I don't play with them and I'll never let my nieces play with them. Even my 200x stuff is off limits. Mine should be fine for decades to come and after that I won't care because I'll be dead.

I read up on the deteroration of action figures and plastics last week, after being reminded of a few sticky figures as I dusted my action figure shelves. (No sticky MOTU, but I only have two vintage ones, only GI Joe/Action Force and old Kenner Star Wars, and one not too old Invisible Woman form ToyBiz.)

Anyway, from what I read what makes figures sticky is the chemicals mixed in with the plastics (like softeners) that loose their bond. My Action Force Zartan for example oozes something crystalline. Things that accelerate degradation include light, lack of oxygen, chemicals and temperature variation. The last one appaerently is the biggest common crook.

Bags in general is bad for both plastic and paper since they keep out oxygen and include chemicals that do damage. Mostly to paper. For example Mylar bags that comics collector's use needs to be replaced every few years to make sure.

Another factor is what type of plastic that was used and which chemicals were added, in a particular batch of figures. Still, the rubber will go before the plastic and the plastic in these action figures will outlast us all even if it becomes sticky and colors run (Two Bad is a common example from MOTU).

So, mild/cool room temperature with ventilation and no lights is the ideal.

I can see how light and temperature can be the two biggest culprits here. Paper (such as what the card backs are made of) will have a shorter half life if you give it plenty of oxygen. Anything biological in origin (like paper) needs to be kept out of oxygen rich sources or it will deteriorate. This is probably in contrast to plastics which have very little (if any) organic composition, thus probably survive better in more arid, oxygen-rich environments.

To make a long story short, you are faced with a dilemma with vintage carded action figures: to preserve the card, or preserve the figure? Unless you design a system that has the proper mixture of gases (oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen) and controlled temperature and lighting. But for the most of us the "mild/cool temperature with ventilation and no lights" recipe will work just fine.

Oh, well, with the He-bro way I've fixed dozen of my figures, don't mind if the loose value, they will be forever mine!
Now a question, nobody knows how to fix the leg joint of other knock-off AF? I just purchased a lot with three Remco figures with their hard-plastic joints brocken, it's a glue-proof damage, anyone knows how?
C'mon He-bro, you're the genius here, make me dream!

Oh, well, with the He-bro way I've fixed dozen of my figures, don't mind if the loose value, they will be forever mine!
Now a question, nobody knows how to fix the leg joint of other knock-off AF? I just purchased a lot with three Remco figures with their hard-plastic joints brocken, it's a glue-proof damage, anyone knows how?
C'mon He-bro, you're the genius here, make me dream!